About a $30K muscle car.

First of all, do some homework on studying VIN, RPO and transmission codes, rear end, paint, interior codes, etc – you don’t want to over pay for a car that is a clone. There’s a saying “numbers are correct” – this means your muscle car is still original and the same that came from factory and it will always be much more valuable than the one that has its drivetrain components mismatched. There is information available that shows the serial numbers of engine, transmission and other parts [the engine being the most important one].

Have enough money

If you’re trying to buy a muscle car that will need some [or a lot] of extra investment, be sure you’ll be able to get those missing or damaged parts – not only affording, but finding them as well.  Spend some time with equipment catalogs, replacement body panel catalogs, OEM and NOS sources ["original equipment manufacturer" and "new old stock"]. One of ways to start restoring your car may be getting a damaged but decent muscle car with matching numbers and use it as a donor car – it may have its body panels seriously damaged while all the powertrain parts will hopefully  be good enough to re-use. Mostly this way is cheaper than buying separate parts from different sources.

Watch for trouble

If you’re looking for the restored muscle car, be sure to check some trouble spots – the trunk under the carpet, previous accident marks under the car, leaking spots in the engine bay [a certain number of small oil leaks is almost guaranteed]. Check the suspension at each corner, the color of the oil inside the filler cap. If your potential muscle car has burning oil [blue smoke], loose manual or slow automatic gear change it may get expensive to fix. It is wise to hire a professional for this inspection – you may save a lot of money. He can evaluate the level of restoration and car’s value or even possible future investment into it.

Behave wisely

Don’t treat a classic or muscle car the way you might treat any other car. Even though it has simple mechanical and electrical features there are a lot of places that need oiling and greasing. Also remember to ask what maintenance has been carried out by the previous owner.
After you buy your muscle car, go to classic car insurance agencies. your muscle car has value that most agencies don’t want to take into account – choose wisely.

1. Chuck Norris once destroyed a muscle car just because he wanted to check if it has more muscle than him.

2. Chuck Norris sometimes drives Ford Mustang. He still thinks it is a pony, so he sits on the roof and kicks both doors to start it.

3. Chuck Norris thought that Plymouth Road Runner is a sportsman and got it into race once. Plymouth was 25 seconds behind Chuck.

4. Some say that one of the two Shelby Super Snake Cobras was destroyed by self-murdered. All we know is that the car didn’t look both ways when it drove by Chuck Norris.

5. Chuck Norris qualified with a top speed of 324 mph at the Daytona 500, without a car.

6. Chuck Norris can jump-start a car using jumper cables attached to his nipples.

7. Chuck Norris can make Plymouth Barracuda swim. Backwards…

8. Chuck Norris drove Dodge Ram in “Walker Texas Ranger” TV series not because it was cool truck – it was the only one car that had suspension strong enough to carry Chuck for more than 10 minutes.

9. Chuck Norris approved amcarguide.com in his own directory that has page rank 11.

10. Chuck Norris’ favorite car is the Karate Corvette.

]]> http://www.amcarguide.com/uncategorized/top-10-facts-about-chuck-norris-and-muscle-cars/feed/ 1 http://www.amcarguide.com/uncategorized/the-general-lee-1969-charger/ http://www.amcarguide.com/uncategorized/the-general-lee-1969-charger/#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:55:54 +0000 Liquid http://www.amcarguide.com/?p=1366 This 1969 muscle car was used to be named as the most recognizable car in the world. Well, we believe this may be true in the USA, because it was used in famous TV series The Dukes of Hazzard [1979-1985].
The Dodge Charger was named General Lee after Confederate general Robert E. Lee and was painted in flat orange color. It had the picture of Confederate battle flag on the roof, “01″ number and its name on each door. The doors were welded shut and the windows were always open – in order to perform chases and stunt jumps [in almost every episode]. It also ment that the Duke  cousins had to climb in /out through windows.  The horn sounded like anthem Dixie [Confederate States].
318, 383, 440 V8 engines varied in the show although the official one was 383 cubic. 440-cubic powered engines usually were used for the higher and longer jumps. The exhaust was basic, mostly with the pipe cut right before the rear end.

There also was The Dukes of Hazzard movie [2005] where some changes to the Charger were made. Cooter repaired General Lee after it was vandalized by Boss Hogg’s guys – he repainted it in a bright orange, replaced the engine with a Hemi, added Vector 10-spoke “turbine” wheels, redesigned the “01″ number, added black grille and “General Lee” text right above the door.

The WCC guys also did a new Charger into something that’s have a lot in common with General Lee – 4-doors saloon was converted into 2-door coupe, the body was painted in orange, the roof had a flag and both doors had “01″. Nice and modern interpretation.. Just like a few more others.

 

1. Bullitt – 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 from “Bullitt”, 1968

Probably this is the only unmodified movie Mustang ever. It has massive 325 HP, a real American muscle car’s heart under the hood – the aggressive 6.4 liter V8 engine, 4-speed manual transmission [which definitely looks hard to shift] and sporty rear wheel drive to have fun while cornering. What else do you need from a real muscle car for chases, especially back in 1968?

2. 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 from “Vanishing Point”, 1971

This one was a hot model with outrageous 375 HP, 440 cubic [7.2 liter] V8 which plays probably  the sweetest automative soundtrack. Would You manage to find a better car for Kowalski to drive from Denver to San Francisco in 15 hours?

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3. Eleanor – 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 from “Gone in 60 seconds”, 2000

Eleanor is probably the most copied muscle movie car ever to appear in screens. Even though the original movie from 1974 was a hit, the 2000 stole the show for sure. There were 11 Eleanor units built for this movie and only 3 of them were actual running and driving cars. In the movie it acted as Shelby, but really they were modified Mustang fastbacks. The movie transmission was a 4-speed manual, but the stunt cars were automatic for easier act. Real legend.

4. The Interceptor – Australian 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT  Coupe from “Mad Max”, 1979

This was was the most modified car in that movie. XB GT Falcon was built exclusively for Australian market and there were only 949 units built. It came with 351 Cleveland engine and 4-speed manual transmission The movie car kept most of the original interior, but body had some serious changes : new nose design, rear spoilers, Weiand 6-71 supercharger with Scott injector had, 4-barrel carburetor and the Zoomies – side pipes. Australians are proud of this car and also make replicas of it.

5. Bumblebee – Chevrolet Camaro from “Transformers”, 2007

The Transformer’s Bumblebee made Camaro one of the most popular car of the year. Well, not only it transforms and looks good, but has a modern amcar engine – 6.2 liter V8 which rates 426 HP and does 0-60 in 4.8 seconds…

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6. 1968 Dodge Charger R/T 440 Magnum from “Bullitt”, 1968

This triple-black, 4-speed Charger chased the Mustang in the “Bullitt” movie and made one of the greatest car chase scenes ever filmed. When the jumping act was performed over the San Francisco hills the Charger never failed with the suspension. Would you be able to name a car from nowadays that could do that without ending as scrap?

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7. Cobretti’s custom 1950 Mercury Monterey from “Cobra”, 1986

Cobretti’s [Sylvester Stallone] 1950 Mercury is probably the most important thing in the whole movie. It was formerly owned by Stallone himself and later built for the movie by Cinema Vehicle Services. They double-scooped the hood, cleaned all extra trim, fitted 383 Chevrolet small block, topped it with nitrous-aided 4-barrel Holley carburetor which also had Weiand 144 supercharger. The transmission was a 400 Turbo Hydraulic with 4-wheel brakes. A good car to reveal Cobretti’s personality and join this Top 10 list.

8. 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra from “The Gumball Rally”, 1976

The movie itself was inspired by a cross country driver Erwin G. “Cannonball” Baker who managed to drive across the country from coast to coast in about 54 hours. This comedy had many interesting cars on act, such as Ferrari Daytona, Porsche 911, 600 HP Camaro, Jaguar E-type, Convertible Corvette, Mercedes Roadster and even a Kawasaki motorbike.
There were only 2 different, but original Shelby Cobra cars in this movie [CSX 3243 and CSX 3255]. These 427 cubic [7 liter] OHV muscle cars managed to pump up to 355 HP. This was really impressive ride across the country with iconic muscle cars…

9. Bond’s 1964 Aston Martin DB5 from “Goldfinger”, 1964

The DB5 is famous for being the first and most recognised movie car in James Bond movies. DB5 had 4 liter [282 HP], 5-speed transmission. Originally, Ian Fleming [the novel writer] had placed DB Mark III, but DB5 was the newest Aston at that time. In fact, they used the prototype car and fitted it with lots of weaponry that fat stripped after the movie and resold. The same car showed up in a few other Bond’s movies as well. If You’d ask someone to say “what Bond’s car is”, the one would definitely name Aston Martin. Good car for good agent.

10. 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 from “Thunder Road”, 1958

The movie character actually drove 2 car there – 195 Ford Coupe and 1957 Ford Fairline 500 which was the top of the Ford line. The 312 cubic V8 engine produced 245 HP and had automatic transmission. Good choice for 1950s if You really need “to take someone out”.

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#1 1966 427 Cobra 427 cubic V8 425 HP

Originally this car is British and has history that dates from 60s. Due to Ford’s wish to compete Corvette, the British AC Cobra was requested to be modified to fit bigger engine. After a few tries, Cobra was equipped with 427 cubic [7 liter] Ford engine that delivered amazing 425 HP and had a top speed of 163 mph. In fact, while saving costs, some Cobra Mark III were actually fitted with Ford’s lower cost 428 cubic engine.

#2 1966 Corvette 427 cubic L72 425 HP

1966 was a year of Corvette’s big block engine extension. The legendary 427 cubic L36 [390 HP] and L72 [425HP] V8’s were introduced. 427 was simply bored and stroked 396 cubic version. L72 had 4 bolt mains, aluminum pistons, bigger camshaft, Holly-780-CFM carburetor with aluminum intake and optionable K66 ignition. People say, this engine has more power than officially quoted – about 450 HP.

#3 1969 Road Runner 440 cubic Six BBL 390 HP

440 6 BBL engine was a equipped with 3 units of 2-barrel carburetors. It was added to line up in order to qualify for the Super Stock Drag races. Road Runners had no wheel covers or hubcaps, but had functional hood scoop and… 390 HP under the hood. This engine was cheaper that 426 Hemi, but had very similar performance. The 1969 Road Runner was named a car of the year by Motor Trend magazine.

#4 1970 Hemi Cuda 426 cubic Hemi 425 HP

The cars taht were equipped with 440 cubic or 426 Hemi engines received upgraded suspension and some reinforcements in order to help transfer the power to the road. Today, these rare Hemi engines have collectors’ interest and high price.

#5 1970 Chevelle SS454 454 cubic LS6 450 HP

Chevrolet’s 454 cubic V8 was a response to GM’s 455 engine. The 454 LS6 had 4 barrel Holley carburetor mated with aluminum manifold, good compression, 4-bolt mains, forged steel cranks and pitons and…. barbaric 450 HP. The LS6 engine made Chevelle a real superstar.

#6 1969 Camaro 427 cubic ZL1 430 HP

Technically the ZL1 was a Camaro option package. This street legal engine was very similar to aluminum-head L88, but ir also was the very first Chevy’s aluminum light-weight block [it weighted just 500 pounds - as much as the 327 V8]. The factory quote was 430 HP, but it actually had over 500 HP.  It was probably the most powerful Chevrolet engine offered to the market.

#7 1968 Chevrolet Corvette 427 cubic V6 435 HP

There were only 624 units of this engine built – the L89 427 cubic V8 with 435 HP. It was identical to the L72 [such as in position #2] but had 3 units of 2-barrel carburetors [aka, Tri-Power].

#8 1970 Plymouth Road Runner 426 cubic Hemi 425 HP

The 426 Hemi was combined with low weight body and could run the quarter mile in 13.5 seconds @105 mph. This was one of the best muscle car era engines and the Road Runner one of the best engines to use it with.

#9 1970 Buick GS Stage I 455 cubic 360 HP

The optional Gran Sport Stage 1 engine produced 360 HP in gross ratings, but the road tests show that engine had around 420 HP and a massive torque. It consisted of more aggresive camshaft, better compression, unique cylinder heads, 4-barrel carburetor, faster ignition, etc. IN the 1980’s GS STAGE 1 engine was listed as faster than any of the Chrysler’s Hemi. Very expensive, very rear, very worth all the buzz.

#10 1968 Chevrolet Corvette 427 cubic 425 HP

The story is, that Victor wanted to increase his 32′ Ford Roadster performance by designing new intake manifold [device that mixes air and fuel] that soon after more drivers wanted as well on their Fords. He transformed his garage into parts manufacturing one that makes special parts and equipment for automobiles. Edelbrock made a huge impact for aftermarket-parts industry.

Slinghot

This is a nickname of Vic’s manifold that he manufactured together with Tommy Thichston for his 32′ Ford improvement. After some tests and a national speed record, Victor soon got Ford Company request to manufacture 100 “Slingshots”.

Begining

During WW2 Edelbrock had some work with aircraft parts. Even though, racing was banned during war, Edelbrock secretly developed a new line of products. Soon after war he produced aluminum cylinder heads as addition to his manifolds and this gave Vic success among petrol-heads. Due to testing his products, Edelbrock decided to join midget car races in 1946. Experiments with nitromethane gained him glory at these races.

Chevy and Edelbrock

Until 1955 Edelbrock manufactured parts only for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury, but after Chevrolet send their small-block for testing, new era began. Chevy gave 3 engines of 1st generation: one was experimented with dynamometer, other – with multi carburetor manifolds and the 3rd one was prepared for boat builder, that managed to set 2 world records with Edelbrock’s modified Chevy engine.  Edelbrock was the first one who managed to get one-HP-per-cubic-inch – he took Chevy’s 283 cubic engine and joined it with his new Cross Ram Manifold.

During 1960’s Edelbrock joined SEMA and his son, Vic Edelbrock Jr. managed to get President and CEO positions there [still holds them today]. During fuel crisis Victor produced “Streetmaster” line that had better millage and performance. Since 1987 Edelbrock Company has an extraordinary growth.

 

After Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928 there was a need to set up a dedicated parts supplier. So, in 1929, “Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation” was established [CMPC]. Firstly, Mopar started as a line of antifreeze products, but in the muscle car era, 60s-70s, Mopar was high-performace parts for Dodge and Plymouth including super-stock parts for drag racers. There was also a “Mopar Performance Parts” division established for parts developing.

GT – stood for grand touring, 40 – ment the height of the car [40 inches]. The first GT got Ford Fairlane’s engine – 4.2 liter V8 with 350 HP – this sports car was mid-engined. After some fails in debut at Nurburgring and Le Mans, Ford hired Carroll Shelby which had his famous Cobra already being manufactured. Shelby started by simply putting his own 427 cubic engine from Cobra and soon had his first victory at 24-hour Le Mans race plus track record. After this victory Ford started working on MK2 GT – these got some wins too.  In 1966 Ford tested heir GT40 “J” cars, but they were experimental and unsuccessful. Anyway, 1966 was the year for MK3 to come. MK3 was a street version of GT40 race cars and managed to reach 0-60 MPH in 5.3 seconds.

Historical date for Gt40 could be the 1966 June, when Ford finally broke Ferrari’s 6th attempt in a row to achieve victory in Le Mans. Ford got their first 3 places in that race – Henry Ford II got his dream come true. The next year GT40 got more aerodynamics. At the Daytona 24-hour race Ford entered with 6 GT cars, but all failed to finnish because of transmission failure. That did not stopped Ford – in 1968 GT40 MK4 was introduced to the public. The exterior design was very noticeable, but engine and gearbox were the same. The MK4’s debut at 12-hour Sebring race was successful – race was won. After 1967 Le Mans race, when large engine were banned due to safety [high speed was too hard to control] and only 3 liter prototype engines or 5 liter production engines were allowed, Ford went back to heir old 5 liter engine development.

After two failures in 1968, Ford continued season pretty well – smaller races were won. At that year Le Mans Ford managed to win for the 3rd time straight so as in 1969 – the 4th victory in a row. 1069 was also the last year for GT40 production. It took 33 year for GT40 to come back in 2002 as a prototype. The next year’s model was without “40″ figures – it went higher, bigger and seriously powerful – 500 HP [supercharged 5.4 liter V8]. In the fall of 2004, production of limited edition started [4038 units built].